The 2000 Italian GP was the venue of Michael Schumacher’s 6th win of the season. There were several things special about this particular win for Michael Schumacher as it was in front of the adoring tifosi.
Schumacher led Mika Hakkinen by a comfortable five seconds to win at the Temple of Speed. As a result, he managed to slash the Finn’s world championship lead to just two points with three races remaining.
Schumacher’s brother Ralf brought his Williams home to take the final podium spot. Jos Verstappen in Arrows was the star of the race in 4th, Alexander Wurz’s Benetton 5th and BAR’s Ricardo Zonta taking the final point.
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However, the drama did not end even after the chequered flag waved for the German. During the press conference, he was made aware that he had taken his 41st victory, equalling Ayrton Senna.
Upon hearing that, Michael’s last words were, “Yes that record means a lot to me”. With that out of the way, the dam burst and he could not hold it in any more.
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Hakkinen and Ralf were quick to console their sobbing colleague. When the questions were directed to Hakkinen, it was clear that the Finn was not in a mood to speak and suggested skipping to Ralf.
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Later on, when Michael Schumacher managed to compose himself, he was still not comfortable talking about equalling Senna’s record.